Evaluation of the amount of arsenic on children’s hands after playing on chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood equipped playgrounds by actual measurements and a synthetic wipe method


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3020.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 8:30 AM

Abstract #100514

Evaluation of the amount of arsenic on children’s hands after playing on chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood equipped playgrounds by actual measurements and a synthetic wipe method

Tomoyuki Shibata, MSc¹, Helena Solo-Gabriele, PhD, PE¹, Caitlin Feikle¹, Lora E. Fleming, MD PhD, MPH, MSc², Wendy Stephan, MPH², Jill Graygo, MPH, MPA², and Stuart Shalat, ScD³. (1) Dept of Civil, Arch, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, 1251 Memorial Dr, McArthur Bldg, #325, Coral Gables, FL 33146, 305-284-2013, tshibata@miami.edu, (2) NIEHS Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, (3) Exposure Measurement and Assessment Division, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-1179

As of January 1, 2004, CCA was banned for treating wood intended for most residential uses in the US. However, many in-service CCA-treated wood playsets, which have been reported as potential sources of arsenic exposure to children, currently exist. This study was conducted to evaluate the amount of arsenic on children's hands after playing at playgrounds. The actual masses of arsenic on hands were measured from 11 children (13 ~ 71 months old) after playing 30-45 minutes at the 7 (4 CCA and 3 non-CCA) residential playgrounds. The levels of arsenic in the wood, soil, and mulch were collected at the same playgrounds. The levels of dislodgeable arsenic on playsets in 10 public (all CCA) and 7 residential playgrounds were also tested using synthetic wipes to evaluate whether arsenic on the synthetic wipes represent actual exposure levels to children. The average amount of arsenic on children's hands were 0.61 (0.11 ~ 1.97) ug at CCA-treated wood playgrounds, while amounts were below detection levels at the non-CCA playgrounds. The levels of arsenic on children's hands were more correlated with arsenic in the wood (r = 0.59) than arsenic in soil (r = 0.18). The estimated arsenic amounts on a child's hand based on synthetic wipes were 4.4 ug and 1.9 ug at the residential and public playgrounds, respectively. The study showed that children's hands were rapidly contaminated with arsenic from play contact with CCA treated wood, and that their maximum exposures levels can be estimated by a standard synthetic wipe test.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

1. Recognize that arsenic has been used treat wood in outdoor applications. Such wood has been used for playsets and inadvertently for the production of wood mulch. Soil in the vicinity of arsenic treated wood can also contain arsenic above background levels.
2. Recognize that children who contact arsenically-treated playgrounds can be exposed to arsenic. The levels of arsenic exposure to children after playing at wooden playgrounds can be evaluated by measuring the amount of arsenic on a child’s hand for risk assessments.
3. Understand the use of the standard synthetic wipe method to estimate the maximum arsenic exposure level to children after playing at wooden playgrounds without measuring actual arsenic levels on a child’s hand.

Keywords: Children, Environmental Exposures

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation

Tools for Assessing Exposure to Metals

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA